On ESPN, Jeff Goodman has reported over 525 transfers from Division 1 alone in 2014. Many see this as an epidemic, a problem with the culture of youth basketball, a problem with society, a problem with parents, coaches, or the kids themselves. However, here are the questions that should really be posed: is the high number of transfers actually a problem? Is the high number of transfers out of line with other issues of workplace loyalty seen in the United States?
In actuality, any one of the problems mentioned above may be true based on the case of a specific student-athlete. However, based on circumstance, the player transferring is doing what they perceive to be in their best interest. Fans get angry because they may be losing a player from their favorite program, but again, that fan is angry because the kid is not doing what is in the fan's best interest.
Let's get one important thing straight. College basketball players are not the only ones who 'transfer.' The average American (for this argument, we will use those who entered the workforce around the year 2000) changes jobs every 4.4 years. That averages out to 15-20 job changes over the course of a career according to Forbes Magazine. So instead of asking why players transfer, the real question should be: why do people transfer?
Think now about why we change jobs:
Lack of appreciation
Mistreatment by supervisors
Chance at a promotion
Higher Salary Elsewhere
Fired due to lack of satisfactory performance
Desire for a better schedule
A need for a change...
Why college players transfer:
Not getting playing time
Don't get along with coaches
Chance to play in a more competitive conference
Opportunity for a Master's degree at another school
Asked to leave by a coach due to lack of on-court performance
Better fit in another system
Coach was fired, and they'd like to play for someone other than the replacement...
Are these lists really that different?
Right or wrong, this is our society. No longer common are the days of the four year starter at the small school who has no further aspirations beyond playing for the team they grew up cheering for. No longer common are the days of the employee who works forty years in the same job and retires. This is not to say it doesn't happen, but it isn't the norm.
When I worked at Westwind Prep, we would occasionally get players who were on their fourth or fifth high school. Kids change club teams all the time. Professional athletes change sports teams all the time. People change jobs all the time.
Why then, are we so surprised and angered when kids transfer from a college? A total of 4,381 scholarships are offered to division 1 Men's basketball players ("Scholarship"). The 525 transfers this season equals just over 8% of that total. It seems to me that transferring is not an epidemic, but a realistic representation of the movement within the American work force.
Don't get me wrong, as someone who has worked with and coached dozens of athletes who went on to perform at the college level, I have nothing but respect for those who stick it out wherever they land. Chances are that they do so because they have already developed the work ethic to be successful wherever they're at. As a coach, I would always warn my players when making a decision to choose a place they envision spending four years at. Somewhere they want to be beyond the basketball court. If no options they loved presented themselves, I often steered them towards the JUCO ranks.
Personally, I think that the ability to compete at a level in which one must earn playing time builds character. I often catch myself shaking my head when players transfer for 'more exposure', or 'more playing time'. I think persevering through adversity is one of the most valuable lessons one can learn as they go through high school and college.
However, not everyone is the same. For some it takes longer, and for some it takes a change of location, a fresh start to help them discover who they really are and who they really can be. While I have my strongly held beliefs against transferring for the usual reasons, I can't judge kids when constant change has become a part of our culture. While I believe gaining the work ethic to be successful where one is currently is more important than moving to a place with less competition, I also understand that every case is different. As a result, I don't feel the panic and hatred for those that do transfer schools that I see from many.
Teaching loyalty and commitment in our nation's youth is vital, but its also important to note that college is a place serving the purpose of preparing people for the future. In a society where the average American changes jobs every 4-5 years, I don't see a problem with college students doing the same. It may not be ideal for a particular fan base or coaching staff, but teaching someone to pursue the best fit for themselves is not such a bad lesson considering the statistics and realities of our current society.
Like it or hate it, this is the way it is, and the transfer list is just going to grow, just as more and more people continue to change jobs.
Either way, those with the work ethic and determination to stay in one's school or job are probably going to be just fine in the long run. When we look at the transfer list, instead of shaking our heads and swearing under our breath, maybe we should just hope that the player transferring can find the right place where they want to stay, and can learn the lessons necessary for them to transfer into productive citizens by the time their college careers are over.
For more information, follow me on twitter @coachdesautels
Works Cited:
Meister, Jeanne. 2012. Job hopping is the new normal for millennials. www.forbes.com.
Scholarships for athletes. 2007. www.scholarshipforathletes.com.
In actuality, any one of the problems mentioned above may be true based on the case of a specific student-athlete. However, based on circumstance, the player transferring is doing what they perceive to be in their best interest. Fans get angry because they may be losing a player from their favorite program, but again, that fan is angry because the kid is not doing what is in the fan's best interest.
Let's get one important thing straight. College basketball players are not the only ones who 'transfer.' The average American (for this argument, we will use those who entered the workforce around the year 2000) changes jobs every 4.4 years. That averages out to 15-20 job changes over the course of a career according to Forbes Magazine. So instead of asking why players transfer, the real question should be: why do people transfer?
Think now about why we change jobs:
Lack of appreciation
Mistreatment by supervisors
Chance at a promotion
Higher Salary Elsewhere
Fired due to lack of satisfactory performance
Desire for a better schedule
A need for a change...
Why college players transfer:
Not getting playing time
Don't get along with coaches
Chance to play in a more competitive conference
Opportunity for a Master's degree at another school
Asked to leave by a coach due to lack of on-court performance
Better fit in another system
Coach was fired, and they'd like to play for someone other than the replacement...
Are these lists really that different?
Right or wrong, this is our society. No longer common are the days of the four year starter at the small school who has no further aspirations beyond playing for the team they grew up cheering for. No longer common are the days of the employee who works forty years in the same job and retires. This is not to say it doesn't happen, but it isn't the norm.
When I worked at Westwind Prep, we would occasionally get players who were on their fourth or fifth high school. Kids change club teams all the time. Professional athletes change sports teams all the time. People change jobs all the time.
Why then, are we so surprised and angered when kids transfer from a college? A total of 4,381 scholarships are offered to division 1 Men's basketball players ("Scholarship"). The 525 transfers this season equals just over 8% of that total. It seems to me that transferring is not an epidemic, but a realistic representation of the movement within the American work force.
Don't get me wrong, as someone who has worked with and coached dozens of athletes who went on to perform at the college level, I have nothing but respect for those who stick it out wherever they land. Chances are that they do so because they have already developed the work ethic to be successful wherever they're at. As a coach, I would always warn my players when making a decision to choose a place they envision spending four years at. Somewhere they want to be beyond the basketball court. If no options they loved presented themselves, I often steered them towards the JUCO ranks.
Personally, I think that the ability to compete at a level in which one must earn playing time builds character. I often catch myself shaking my head when players transfer for 'more exposure', or 'more playing time'. I think persevering through adversity is one of the most valuable lessons one can learn as they go through high school and college.
However, not everyone is the same. For some it takes longer, and for some it takes a change of location, a fresh start to help them discover who they really are and who they really can be. While I have my strongly held beliefs against transferring for the usual reasons, I can't judge kids when constant change has become a part of our culture. While I believe gaining the work ethic to be successful where one is currently is more important than moving to a place with less competition, I also understand that every case is different. As a result, I don't feel the panic and hatred for those that do transfer schools that I see from many.
Teaching loyalty and commitment in our nation's youth is vital, but its also important to note that college is a place serving the purpose of preparing people for the future. In a society where the average American changes jobs every 4-5 years, I don't see a problem with college students doing the same. It may not be ideal for a particular fan base or coaching staff, but teaching someone to pursue the best fit for themselves is not such a bad lesson considering the statistics and realities of our current society.
Like it or hate it, this is the way it is, and the transfer list is just going to grow, just as more and more people continue to change jobs.
Either way, those with the work ethic and determination to stay in one's school or job are probably going to be just fine in the long run. When we look at the transfer list, instead of shaking our heads and swearing under our breath, maybe we should just hope that the player transferring can find the right place where they want to stay, and can learn the lessons necessary for them to transfer into productive citizens by the time their college careers are over.
For more information, follow me on twitter @coachdesautels
Works Cited:
Meister, Jeanne. 2012. Job hopping is the new normal for millennials. www.forbes.com.
Scholarships for athletes. 2007. www.scholarshipforathletes.com.
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